WINDOWS 10 SUSPECTED UPDATE PROBLEMS AND NREL SYSTEM ADVISOR MODEL SOFTWARE

Question

Hello!

I have Windows 10 Pro Version 20H2 on two computers and Windows 10 Home on a third computer.

I have been having trouble with a software application called System Advisor Model (SAM) produced by the U.S. based National Energy Laboratory (NREL) from Boulder, Colorado.

I tried running three versions of SAM - version 2020.11.29 (the latest one), also version 2018.11.11 and version 2017.9.5. I have been using it in performance simulations for solar PV power plants.

All three versions of this software are failing to open properly on all three computers. The failure symptoms with 2018.11.11 and 2017.9.5, on all three computers, are the same.

The failure symptoms (with version 2020.11.29, the latest one) are very similar on all three computers.

Prior to having the problems referred to above, I had been running the SAM software on just one computer which was running Windows 10 Pro Version 1803 build 17134.1304 (64-bit OS);
Product ID 00330-80000-00000-AA378 - with no problems at all.

Then one day System Advisor Model (SAM) stopped working without warning, with no error message, so I assumed that an accidental Windows file corruption problem was responsible.
This appeared to be confirmed when a day or two later I found that Windows no longer recognised my cellphone when I connected it to that same computer with its USB cable.

At that point it seemed obvious that the answer was to install the new Windows 10 Pro Version 20H2 - for several reasons - which I did. The new Windows then recognised my cellphone.

Then I installed SAM version 2020.11.29 - but it still failed to open properly and the symptoms were similar to what occurred with the old version of Windows 10 referred to above, after SAM suddenly and "inexplicably" stopped working.

Then I found that all three versions of SAM failed to open properly on the other two computers, one of which also runs Windows 10 Pro Version 20H2 - as already noted.

I have video clips and screen shots available for all the failures referred to, for all three computers.

I reported all the above - with the evidence - to Paul Gilman at NREL, who (among other things) is also the Moderator for the online SAM User Forum.

Nobody in the SAM User Forum, to date, has reported any problems resembling mine and no problems with Windows 10 when running the three SAM versions referred to above.

At the same time, I note with interest that some Windows 10 users have been having trouble with some of the Windows 10 updates.

I also had a friend in Ottawa, called SOL, download the latest SAM (version 2020.11.29, already referred to) and run the same test as I did - and his result indicated that all was well.

SOL's computer runs Windows 10 Home Version 10.0.19042 Build 19042 - identical to what's on one of my own computers referred to above that's giving trouble.

It looks clear to me that the problem affecting SAM and my own two computers running Windows 10 Version 20H2 is the same as on my third computer which runs Windows 10 Home Version 10.0.19042 Build 19042 (same as SOL's, which is working fine).

I can't think what could explain this other than one or more defective Windows 10 updates being common to all three computers in my own household.

I can provide full information about the symptoms on my own three computers, on request.

Sincerely, Robert T. Chisholm
email chisholm@Storm ,ca

Answer 1

Hi

About failing to open SAM properly, we could post the question on the SAM forum. https://sam.nrel.gov/forum
Or we could contact the SAM team by email. https://sam.nrel.gov/forum

Debugging windows log is beyond scope of forums support so if further assistance were needed you could open a request ticket with Microsoft support.
https://support.serviceshub.microsoft.com/supportforbusiness

Best Regards

Answer 2

OK Miles, many thanks.

If I do what you recommend, then I'd better provide a fresh description and history of the symptoms - along with screen shots and video clips - to whomever I will be working with.

Should I provide them with your contact info when I do this? I want to be sure from the start to avoid any mis-communication problems that might be waiting to bring Murphy's Law into the picture to screw things up ("If anything can go wrong, it will", and all the rest of it!). From my standpoint I'd be presenting them with an unusual situation involving a particular software package - SAM. Of course the same Windows problems triggering the failures with SAM (I can't think what else would account for them) might be waiting to cause other problems which I haven't seen yet, with other software packages on my computers.

Sincerely, Robert T. Chisholm

Answer 3

With respect to submitting a support ticket via https://serviceshub.microsoft.com/home , I took a look at this and the whole setup appears to be geared to paying corporate users with service contracts of some kind, rather than home users like myself with little or no money. And what might I be expected to pay for fixing this - when the problem appears to have been caused by some Windows-related problem outside my control?

Answer 4

In reply to your latest comment, yesterday we discussed the problem with the used computer store that sold us our "new used" computer running Windows 10 Version 20H2. My main concern is to fix this one and our other two computers are much less important.

This store also does diagnostics and repairs, indicated they could fix our machine, and know about the NREL SAM software.

This is going to cost us a bit of money but there now seems to me to be no way of avoiding that.

I posted several questions about our problem to the SAM User Forum - but the end result was that they could not help with Windows 10 operating system problems like ours.

Sincerely, Robert T. Chisholm